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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. can — a tin
  4. swing — in golf
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — thin
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kid — to tease
  10. firm — a company
  11. can — to be able to
  12. firm — decided
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — child
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lean — to bend
  19. firm — steady
  20. press — to push
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — music
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com